Idaho grape and wine industry cites economic gains, seeks viticulture researcher at U of I Parma

Representatives of the Idaho Grape and Wine Commission told the Idaho Senate Agricultural Affairs Committee that the state’s grape and wine industry has expanded in acreage, production and economic impact but faces challenges from farmland loss, water supply and labor shortages.

Roger Batt, a representative of the Idaho Grape and Wine Commission, said the industry counted about 1,350 acres of vineyards across roughly 70 vineyard sites and reported nearly 2,800 tons of grapes harvested in 2023. Citing a 2022 economic study, Batt said the industry’s total economic impact was about $314.1 million in 2022, up from roughly $209.6 million in 2017.

Batt and other presenters described three American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) that help market Idaho wines — Snake River, Eagle Foothills and Lewis and Clark Valley — and said the Snake River AVA is geographically large. They identified farmland conversion and increased rural-residential interface as pressures on future grape production and said the industry supports right-to-farm legislation and related measures to preserve farmland.

Moya Dolsby, executive director of the Idaho Grape and Wine Commission, described the commission’s funding structure — an Idaho wine excise tax (about $350,000 annually), optional industry assessments and grant funding — and said the commission relies heavily on USDA specialty-crop block grants administered by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture. Dolsby told the committee the commission applies annually for $150,000–$300,000 in specialty-crop grant funding and typically receives about $150,000–$200,000. She said those grants support marketing and education programs, including paying for out-of-state speakers; she cited approximately $2,144 as the per-person cost to bring a speaker to Idaho.

Dolsby asked legislators to support funding in the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) process to create and fill a viticulturist position at the University of Idaho Parma Research and Extension Center. She said 75% of the educators at the commission’s seminars come from out of state and that an in-state viticulture specialist would reduce dependence on out-of-state consultants.

Winemaker James Netter (identified by the commission as its board chairman) emphasized that wine production depends on grapes and described grape growing as capital- and labor-intensive: initial establishment of a vineyard can cost tens of thousands of dollars per acre and several years are required before a vineyard produces marketable fruit. Netter and other presenters stressed the industry’s reliance on predictable irrigation water and on seasonal labor for pruning and harvest.

Committee members asked about grant funding sources; Dolsby confirmed specialty-crop grants come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and said the Idaho Department of Agriculture has recently received roughly $2 million in those grants for distribution to specialty-crop programs.

The commission’s presentation included marketing successes (national coverage generated through marketing grants, including pickup by Forbes and Food & Wine) and a request that the Legislature consider continued grant and personnel support to sustain industry growth and research capacity.